Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

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MitsuMatsu
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Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby MitsuMatsu » May 21st, 2006, 7:46 pm

Does anyone have a photo(s) of Professor Vertelli or know his descendant to contact in order to allow me to be more familiar to him?

According to Sphinx Vol.12 Feb 1914, he was born in England in 1840 and moved to Australia in 1850. He was once a most renowned tightrope walker at that time in 1860s. Then followed magic work in which he was engaged almost exclusively for the rest of his professional career.
While he was in Japan around 1875 for more than one year, he appeared many vaudeville theatres in Yokohama and Tokyo and was very successful. Until then, no western magician had appeared at any popular downtown theatre in Tokyo because of many reasons. So, he is considered the most influential western magician in early Japanese magic history.
After staying in Japan, he moved to San Francisco, and then had toured many cities in USA for moir than twenty years. In his later year, he was stricken with paralysis of both feet and he turned his attention to astrology and card reading which then became his sole means of livelihood.

I have already identified that Vertelli's real name was John Morcom and his wife's name was Annie. It is said that he had 8 children and none living, however I think there is some descendant. He died in 1914. Their address was Berkeley City, Oakland, California.

I wonder if any of you has his photo because only his picture I have is from a children book on Vertelli.
Your advice would be very much appreciated in advance.

MitsuMatsu

sabinechallis
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby sabinechallis » April 28th, 2012, 6:41 pm

His name was James.

See wikipedia article on his brother Samuel - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Morcom

MitsuMatsu
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby MitsuMatsu » April 30th, 2012, 8:47 am

The Wikipedia column you quoted tells as follows:
"Other members of the Morcom family also gained renown; brother James, under the name "Vertelli", became a famous wire walker in the United States,..."
But the original source didn't say James, but John.

Please see attached. (an upper half of "Sporting Families")

[img:left]http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/65055014?searchTerm="Sporting Families"&searchLimits=exactPhrase=Sporting+Families|||anyWords|||notWords|||l-textSearchScope=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||fromdd=14|||frommm=12|||fromyyyy=1923|||todd=14|||tomm=12|||toyyyy=1923|||l-title=41|||l-title=89|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||sortby[/img]

Mitsu Matsu

MitsuMatsu
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby MitsuMatsu » May 2nd, 2012, 3:09 am

Sorry, this is the correct URL.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article ... earchTerm="Sporting Families"&searchLimits=exactPhrase=Sporting+Families|||anyWords|||notWords|||l-textSearchScope=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||fromdd=14|||frommm=12|||fromyyyy=1923|||todd=14|||tomm=12|||toyyyy=1923|||l-title=41|||l-title=89|||l-word=*ignore*%7C*ignore*|||sortby

Beebee
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Beebee » June 9th, 2012, 10:26 pm

The Wikipedia entry regarding James Morcom is incorrect. It was his brother John who performed under the name of Vertelli, as in the first post. This can be verified by viewing the articles in the South Australian newspapers at the time of John Morcom's death. His brother James was in Adelaide, SA, at this time and he states that he has received word of John's death in America. The articles also confirm that John Morcom was Vertelli. There is also an illustration depicting Vertelli performing a "Blondin" type of act. (ref: South Australian papers around the 19th of Februry 1914.) There are other newspaper articles about Vertelli freely available from "Trove" in Australia. The earliest from around the 1860s.
Thank you MitsuMatsu for the other lost bits.
Last edited by Beebee on June 9th, 2012, 10:29 pm, edited 0 times in total.
Reason: wrongly placed "e" on Morcom

Bill Mullins
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Bill Mullins » June 11th, 2012, 11:42 pm

Fixed the wikipedia article.

Apparently John's brother James had a son, Richard Leslie Vertelli Morcom, who served during WWI. Perhaps researching his line would be useful.

This includes an engraving of Vertelli on a high wire; I doubt the likeness is accurate.

Kent Blackmore
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Kent Blackmore » April 27th, 2020, 10:19 pm

Hi,
I realise this post is over a decade old, but I am currently working on an essay concerning Vertelli's history in Australia, for my historical website at http://sydneymagic.net
It would be interesting to learn more of Vertelli's time in Japan. I'm afraid I have not located any photographs.
There is a statue commemorating Vertelli's rope walk across Dangars Falls, in Armidale, New South Wales.
https://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2012/12/03/3645932.htm

regards,
Kent Blackmore
kblackmore@sydneymagic.net

Diego
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Diego » April 28th, 2020, 2:32 am

Up until the late 1960's/1970's, there was a store in Oakland, California called, "Morcom's House of Novelties."
I don't know if it was a hobby store with a magic counter or novelty/joke store with a magic counter, (or both) but magicians in the East Bay often visited/hung out there, especially before Marvin "Buma" Burger's, "House of Magic", opened in San Francisco, which was a more complete/full magic store. I never visited there, but the name Morcom caught my eye and thought to mention it here.

Joe Lyons
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Joe Lyons » April 28th, 2020, 9:27 am

The original poster, Mitsu Matsu, has an article about him in the Summer 2008 Gibeciere.
No photos though.

Kent Blackmore
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Kent Blackmore » April 28th, 2020, 7:48 pm

Thanks folks! I will investigate those links; the magic shop is tempting but I think the odds are against it being "our" Morcom.

Diego
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Diego » April 29th, 2020, 9:52 pm

"Odds" are maybe, maybe not...may not hurt to find out. What works in favor is that he did live in Oakland, California in his later years and the name, "Morcom", isn't the most common. Who knows? There are a couple I know who were around there then that might know.

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Chas Nigh
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Chas Nigh » May 5th, 2020, 4:14 pm

(C) Morcom's House of Novelties, Albert Melville Morcom, sole owner, Oakland, Calif

Kent Blackmore
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Kent Blackmore » May 5th, 2020, 6:27 pm

Thanks again, I'll pursue it, though the only clue that comes immediately to light is Morcom's graduation from Haight School CA. in 1916.

My more focused research into Vertelli's life in Australia shows that his brother, James, was also a performer but acted as advance agent for a number of performers such as Prof.Nash (mesmerist), Grace Egerton, the Carandinis (singers?), Dr. Silvester (either the original Fakir of Oolu or one of his sons) and Burton's Circus. The story is in the process of being written now.

Kent Blackmore
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Kent Blackmore » May 6th, 2020, 12:47 am

These biographical entries seem to show that an Albert EDWARD Morcom owned the novelty shop in the 1930 period.
http://morcom.one-name.net/pp174.htm - entry 16664

and Albert M. Morcom was his son
http://morcom.one-name.net/pp174.htm#i438 (entry 00438) - died Nov.30, 1971 aged 68 at Alamo, Contra Costa.

The family links back to a Nicholas Morcom - so no connection to Vertelli, alas, but it may interest anyone who remembers the Novelty Store!

Kent Blackmore
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Kent Blackmore » May 16th, 2020, 9:37 pm

Much more to come on Vertelli, as I wade through a story much larger than I expected!
A quick online search of US newspapers shows numerous appearances from 1880-1896 in Washington State, Sacramento, Wichita etc.

https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/pages/results/?state=&date1=1789&date2=1963&proxtext=Vertelli&x=0&y=0&dateFilterType=yearRange&rows=20&searchType=basic

Kent Blackmore
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Kent Blackmore » May 21st, 2020, 2:37 am

Can't quite believe I've finally finished; it took a lot of work.

Adelaide boy, John "VERTELLI" Morcom swung on trapezes, walked on a tightwire across the Dangar Gorge, carried passengers across the wire on his back, and performed magic including some beautiful Japanese illusions such as the Butterfly Trick. He travelled to China and Japan, and toured all through the U.S. There is a statue in his honor, in Armidale.

And he rode down rivers in a tub pulled by geese.....

http://sydneymagic.net/vertelli.html

Image

Kent Blackmore
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Re: Prof. Vertelli, a forgotten magician

Postby Kent Blackmore » May 21st, 2020, 2:38 am

And in answer to the original question in this thread, we STILL haven't found a photograph!!


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